Fluid delivery systems, such as feeding tubes, are used to deliver nutrients and medicine to patients. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is known in the art as enteral feeding or tube feeding.
As an example, in a neo-natal unit, infants are often fed enterally. A tube is inserted in the mouth or nasal opening of the infant and through the esophagus for delivery of the fluid to the stomach or intestinal region of the body. In this example, breast milk or formula are delivered by syringe (or some other container) into an enteral delivery system, such as an enteral tube, for delivery to the infant's stomach. However, enteral feeding systems can also be for pediatric or adult use. Sometimes a peristaltic pump is used to deliver fluids from a feeding bag.
Current pumping devices may be large and bulky, and often need to be plugged into an electrical outlet to function. They can require some nearby stand or pole for support, which adds to a cumbersome assembly. Further, the tubing may be of significant length to reach from the pumping device to the infant, which is not desirable.